What is USB OTG?

The full form of USB OTG is USB On-The-Go, means anytime, anywhere! It is a feature or a standard that was developed in 2001.

It is a standard or a protocol by which two compatible USB supportable devices can communicate with each other. Using this standard or feature… both USB supportable devices can share the data or information quickly.

So if your smartphone supports the USB OTG feature, then you can use it to share the data. You can use additional hardware such as storage, keyboards or even musical instruments together with your handset.

You can connect a pen drive directly to transfer the data. You can also connect a USB mouse or USB keyboard with your smartphone or tablet.

Is USB OTG Hardware or Software?

USB OTG is a combination of hardware and software. You can’t use this feature without the software. It has the drivers and the software to understand the peripherals and access their data. In short, the drivers + specific software should be installed on the particular device.

If your device software has the feature to support the OTG, then you can easily use it to transfer the data. But if your device software doesn’t support it, then you can’t use it!

How to use USB OTG Feature on Smartphone or Tablet to Transfer Data?

Well, if your device is OTG compatible, you’ll also need a suitable OTG cable or connector for your device. You can grab one for a few bucks on Amazon.com or Amazon.in.

Using the OTG Cable

In this cable, one side you will get a USB Type-A connector and on the other side you will get a micro-USB connector.

So if you want to transfer the data, then plug-in the USB Type-A connector to the USB device (connect a pen drive or external hard disk) and connect the micro-USB connector to smartphone or tablet as shown in the picture below.

Connect USB Type-A Connector of Cable with USB Type-A port

Connect micro-USB connector of cable with standard micro-USB port

Direct Connection (without Cable)

Some USB devices like flash drives come with micro USB connector as shown in the picture below. You can directly plug-in the flash drive or USB devices with the smartphone or tablet to transfer the data.

What can you do with USB OTG?

You can use this feature to connect many devices. Here is a short list, what you can do with the USB On-The-Go feature.

Connect a Mouse or Keyboard.

Connect a MIDI Keyboard.

Connect a USB Storage Drive.

Connect a Game Controller.

Connect a Portable Hard Drives.

If you have any query related to USB OTG feature, then tell us in the comment section below.

Deepak is the content writer of this blog. He has a good experience in writing beautiful and informational articles since 2013. He is government employee and always willing to write great and meaningful research articles on different topics like technology, TV seasons, movies, government affairs and more.